Tenchi Re-Tell: Kiyone Special
by Anguirus1955
Summary: After being pulled into a wormhole while chasing the notorious Space Pirate Ryoko, Detective First Class Kiyone Makibi finds herself thrown not only 20 years into the past, but also into another part of the galaxy, near a blue planet called Earth. As Kiyone tries to make a new life for herself, she must try to keep her sanity as she deals with a new culture and new dangers.


**TENCHI RE-TELL**

 **KIYONE SPECIAL**

By Anguirus1955

Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo is the property of AIC and Pioneer LDC/Geneon Universal.

Well, this is my first attempt at anime fan fiction, especially Tenchi Muyo. Having just recently become a fan of the series, I've noticed that a lot of fan fiction usually revolves around... very specific continuities or timelines, with little deviation to be found. So, I've decided to come up with a new timeline or continuity all of my own, which combines elements from the original OVA and the TV series, Universe, as well as a few elements from GXP, such as different species appearing in this first chapter.

Technically, this Kiyone Special is a prequel to the main story that I plan on writing, but while planning this, I found that I wanted to work on this more, so I've decided to get it out of my system.

Yes, this mini-series of sorts is named after the Mihoshi Special, where Kiyone was first introduced, but don't worry, Mihoshi isn't anywhere _near_ as stupid or incompetent in this fan fic as she is in Universe or any other spinoffs. She also doesn't make any significant appearances in this special either.

As a warning, please be aware that each chapter will vary in length, and I cannot guarantee any dates for when any chapter is published. I follow the Valve schedule: It's done when it's done.

Yes, I am still working on my ALIEN stories, but I'm having trouble staying focused on one thing at a time.

Also, be warned, this story will feature what may be one of the most unexpected crack pairings ever contemplated by anyone.

As with all works of mine, I wrote this while listening to music, mostly film soundtracks, including Police Academy (1984) by Robert Folk, Beverly Hills Cop (1984) by Harold Faltermeyer, The Running Man (1987) by Harold Faltermeyer, and the Tenchi Universe soundtrack by Seikou Nagaoka.

I highly recommend listening to this music while reading this fan fiction, as it will enhance many sequences in ways that I can't do justice with highly detailed writing. Most of these tracks can be found on YouTube if you don't have the CDs or any digital versions on your computing devices.

Music From _Beverly Hills Cop (1984)_ : _Stir It Up (Performed by Patti Labelle)_.

Music From _Police Academy (1984)_ : _Riot Gear_.

Music From _Tenchi Universe_ : _Peaceful Day_.

Music From _The Running Man (1987)_ : _Restless Heart (Performed by John Parr)_.

* * *

 **EPISODE 01: Kiyone's Journey**

* * *

 **The Yagami, Docked at Star Port D-15, City of Karuzaena, Colony World of Gemini 3, Galactic Union Standard Calendar Year of 9220**

Sitting at a console on board her ship, Galaxy Police Officer Kiyone Makibi deftly tapped her fingers against the keys of the board in front of her as she accessed the data from the local police network. Images of five criminals showed up on the screen, but only one of them was of any interest to her. It was a young woman with cyan tinted hair, yellow catlike eyes, and a green and pink outfit. She was known to everyone as Ryoko, an infamous space pirate and alleged destroyer of worlds, "Demon Ryoko" as some had called her in the past, who had seemingly abandoned her old ways for reasons unknown a few hundred years earlier. Since that time, she had accrued a long list of charges on her rap sheet, ranging from minor misdemeanors all the way up to major criminal offenses, especially thefts and destruction of property, on numerous worlds.

Ryoko had been spotted by local law enforcement agents just a few days prior to Kiyone's arrival on the colony, and a sting operation was currently being set up in order to capture the space pirate. With help from the Galaxy Police, it was hoped that Ryoko would be captured and then finally put away once and for all, especially since the GP officer sent to the colony was Kiyone Makibi, one of the top field agents working for the Galaxy Police. Normally, Kiyone would be accompanied by her partner, Mihoshi Kuramitsu. Unfortunately, Mihoshi had been injected with a large dosage of poison by a suspect during their previous case. With Mihoshi currently recovering in a hospital, Kiyone was forced to operate without her partner for the time being.

It was probably for the best, Kiyone reasoned, as Mihoshi had been slipping up recently, even prior to her hospitalization, and with a high-profile target such as Ryoko, nothing could be left to chance. "Overworked, over-stressed, and overlooked," Kiyone muttered sadly, as Mihoshi had been passed over for numerous promotions in the past that she had very much deserved. And though she often put up a bubbly and friendly personality in public, Kiyone had seen the cracks showing more and more often as Mihoshi's workload increased. Some decent rest, even if it were in a hospital bed, would do the girl a world of good, Kiyone knew.

"Now, where was I?" Kiyone asked herself as she resumed reading the intelligence report that had been put together following Ryoko's sighting on the colony. Ryoko had been sighted in one of the recreational areas near the star port, along with a handful of other space pirates. "That's odd," Kiyone said to herself. "Ryoko usually operates on her own. Cooperating with other pirates isn't something she's done before. Maybe... it's just a coincidence," Kiyone rationalized to herself. She continued reading the report before finally gathering up her gear and getting ready to head out to the nearest local police station for a proper briefing.

* * *

 **Karuzaena City Police Station**

Stepping inside the office of Captain Dozzel, a large male Wau with dark fur covering his body, Kiyone stood at attention. "You usually have a partner, don't you?" Dozzel asked Kiyone curiously. "She's not available for this assignment," Kiyone replied. "Oh? Well, when I'd heard that you were being sent here to help us, I'd figured that meant your partner would be with you, and we'd have two GP officers here to help catch Ryoko," Dozzel said.

"As I said, she's unavailable. She's currently in a hospital, recovering from a large dosage of poison injected into her during our previous assignment. I'm all you've got right now," Kiyone said tersely. She was fine with Mihoshi getting necessary rest in a hospital, but she didn't like thinking about _why_ she was in there in the first place.

Dozzel nodded his head in understanding. "Very well. I won't press further. Now, I take it you've read the report we compiled?" Dozzel asked Kiyone. She nodded her head in response.

"Yes. If I may ask, Captain, has there been any evidence of Ryoko interacting with the other pirates mentioned in the report? It said that she was seen in the same area as them, but the report didn't state whether or not she had any significant interactions with them," Kiyone explained. Dozzel scratched his chin.

"Well, not really. We've only seen them walking around the same location for a few days. It's an outdoor food court near a large shopping center," Dozzel said as he accessed a map of the city and brought it up on a screen behind his desk. "We've been keeping tabs on Ryoko and the pirates since we spotted them, but they haven't done anything yet," he added.

"Is that so?" Kiyone asked him suspiciously. "Yes. Presently, I'm hoping that Ryoko and the other pirates might just be stopping here for some rest before heading out to some other target," Dozzel said. Kiyone shook her head in response.

"No. Ryoko has a target somewhere here in the city. She'll most likely feign leaving at some point, simply to return and attack her true target once everyone's guards are down. It's a pattern that she's exhibited five times before on five other worlds," Kiyone said.

Dozzel tilted his head in curiosity. "Really? This information is new to me. Then again, the Galaxy Police doesn't exactly send out up to date database information to non GP law enforcement entities such as local police," Dozzel said with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"I'll speak to someone about having that changed," Kiyone said apologetically. "After this assignment, of course," Dozzel said to her in response. "Yes, after this assignment," Kiyone said in agreement. "Now, Officer Makibi, you said that Ryoko has a habit of faking her exit only to come back and steal her real target. What about the other pirates we've spotted?" Dozzel asked Kiyone.

"Well, I certainly recognize them, but they aren't high profile criminals like Ryoko," Kiyone said as Dozzel brought up the images and profiles of the pirates on the screen. "This one, Loritz Jonez," Dozzel said as he pointed to the image of a blue-skinned man with wild yellow hair and green eyes, "Is the only one that I'm familiar with, but even then I don't know much other than what's on his rap sheet."

"The others would appear to be part of his crew," Kiyone explained as she looked at the images of the other pirates. One of them was a man with dark brown skin and bright orange hair tied up in a ponytail. Another one was a woman with faint purple skin and short white hair. And the last one was a blue-skinned man with short-cropped green hair and red eyes. Their names were Bell Londo, Marzo Nozike, and Kaevit Nodd, respectfully.

"Jonez's rap sheet doesn't mention any of his associates, only his offenses," Dozzel noted. "Most rap sheets for pirates _don't_ list associates," Kiyone replied. "They constantly move about from one world to another, so usually whoever they interact with is whoever happens to be in that area when they arrive," Kiyone explained to Captain Dozzel.

"Hm, I guess that makes sense," he said thoughtfully as he scratched his chin. "So, you said that Ryoko will take off before coming back to steal her real target. How will we know what her real target is?" Dozzel asked Kiyone.

"Well, there's one more pattern she's displayed so far that should help us," Kiyone said. "I'm listening," Dozzel said intently. "See, wherever she leaves is always half-way between where she arrived and her actual target. While the exact distance changes from target to target, the ratio remains the same. The radius from her arrival point and false leaving point is also the distance measured between leaving points and targets. When she pretends to leave, we'll have a very short window to pinpoint her actual target," Kiyone explained.

She grabbed a data pad from Dozzel's desk. "May I?" she asked him. Dozzel nodded his head before giving her and electronic pen. Taking the electronic pen, Kiyone accessed a drawing program and brought up a blank sheet to begin drawing a circle. She placed a dot in the middle of the circle. "See this dot? That's her false departure point," Kiyone said as she pointed to said dot. Dozzel nodded his head in understanding.

"After she leaves, we'll have a few hours to a day at most to find a spot along the rim of the circle, so to speak, where her target will be located," Kiyone elaborated. "I see," Dozzel said, nodding his head. "When she leaves, we have to know the exact location, so that we can began sending forces to any valuable locations along the diamter of the circle," Kiyone finished.

"Now, where is her ship docked?" Kiyone asked Dozzel. "Well... we don't know. We don't know what ship she came here in, so we have no idea where to look or what to look for," Dozzel replied with a sigh. "But you _have_ been able to keep tabs on Ryoko since her arrival, right?" Kiyone asked him in return.

"I have people trailing Ryoko as we speak," Dozzel said. Kiyone looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Don't worry, they're undercover operatives. She won't recognize them as being law enforcement, and we have multiple operatives changing shifts every day to prevent any one of them sticking around her long enough to be noticed," Dozzel explained.

"That's pretty clever," Kiyone said with an approving nod of her head. "Thank you," Dozzel said with pride. "So, I want to start staking out the area myself to get a better handle on the other pirates. Have you had anyone following them as well?" Kiyone asked Dozzel.

"Um... sort of. Most of our surveillance on them has been limited. Ryoko has been our primary concern, so we've kept most of our focus on her," Dozzel admitted. Kiyone nodded her head in understanding.

"So, which part of the recreation district has Ryoko spent most of her time in?" Kiyone asked Dozzel. "Well, she hasn't really stuck around in any one place for very long, although she does pass through the food courts more than the other areas," Dozzel replied. "The food courts? Show me where," Kiyone demanded.

Dozzel brought up a map of the city again and zoomed in on the recreational district. "This area here," he said as he pointed to a large open area with multiple restaurants and shops. "Out in the open? That's strange," Kiyone said curiously. "You said earlier that the other pirates have stayed in the recreational district. Have they been seen going anywhere else, like Ryoko has?" Kiyone asked Dozzel.

"No. While Ryoko tends to move about through multiple parts of the city, the other pirates seem to stay concentrated in that one area," Dozzel replied. _I wonder_ , Kiyone thought to herself, _could Ryoko be using the other pirates as decoys? Does she already know that she's being watched, and she's simply passing by the other pirates to draw attention away from herself before she goes after her real target?_ "Do you or your officers know where Ryoko is located right now?" Kiyone soon asked Dozzel.

Dozzel nodded his head in response. "Ryoko was last seen near the food court, just twenty minutes before you arrived in my office," he said. Kiyone nodded her head. "Alright. I'm going to change into something less conspicuous and head out to stake the area," she said.

 **Zaelong Market Square, Karuzaena Recreational District, A Short Time Later...**

Sitting down at a table near a cafe, Kiyone watched carefully as her target slowly stalked several corner shops. Kiyone was wearing a dark green jacket, one without any brand names or insignia on it, and she was wearing dark brown pants, covering her white running shoes. Her headband was stuffed in one of her jacket pockets, and she'd tied her hair up into a bun. She had a pair of sunglasses over her eyes as she occasionally sipped from the cup in her hands.

Ryoko, for her part, was wearing a blue and purple striped outfit, which didn't stand out much from the crowds of people walking around the open streets of the food court. It was different from her usual clothing style, especially since it concealed most of her body and left only her hands, neck, and head exposed. She was also accompanied by a small cabbit on her shoulders.

At a table near another restaurant, however, Kiyone noticed the other pirates eating something together, occasionally glancing over in Ryoko's direction. Kiyone watched as Ryoko steered as clear as possible from the other pirates, avoiding them without making it look like she was avoiding them. Looking around the rest of the food court, Kiyone noticed a few other people sitting down and milling about, but no one that she recognize as a police officer. _Good, they're doing their job right if they can't be recognized_ , Kiyone thought to herself.

Glancing back over at Ryoko, Kiyone watched as the space pirate entered a small shop. A few minutes later, Ryoko exited the shop, empty-handed, before walking around and making her way over to a cafe nearby. Glancing over at the other pirates again, Kiyone saw one of them get up and begin making his way over to where Ryoko was standing in line.

 _Bell Londo_ , Kiyone thought in recognition of the orange-haired man. Kiyone watched silently as Londo walked up behind Ryoko and and whispered something into her ear. _So, they ARE working together. But... that just doesn't match Ryoko's standard behavior. She NEVER works with others_ , Kiyone thought to herself.

Kiyone soon noticed a scowl form on Ryoko's face, and saw the small tail of Ryo-Ohki begin to twitch in agitation as Londo continued whispering to Ryoko. _Okay, maybe not_ , Kiyone thought as she saw one of Ryoko's hands ball up into a fist. Ryoko quickly turned around to push a finger at Londo's chest as she hissed something at him.

Londo smirked in satisfaction before walking away, leaving a fuming Ryoko standing in line. _What the hell was that all about? Are Ryoko and the other pirates competing for the same target? Is that why they're all in the same area? But Ryoko's most recent pattern... something weird is going on_ , Kiyone thought to herself.

Looking back over at the other pirates, Kiyone watched as they huddled together before getting up and walking over toward Ryoko as a group. _This... is going to get ugly_ , Kiyone realized as she glanced down at her holstered sidearm, concealed by her jacket, before looking back up and watched the space pirates approach Ryoko. When the pirates were halfway to their target, the female, Marzo Nozike, suddenly assumed a meek posture and grabbed the left arm of Kaevit Nodd before pointing a finger at Ryoko.

"That's her! She's the one who stole my money and my engagement ring!" Marzo cried out in an almost convincing manner. Well, convincing for anyone who wasn't a well-trained police officer and former drama student in their school years. Kiyone had heard plenty of fake pouts and cries while in school in addition to her time with the Galaxy Police, and Marzo was definitely acting.

However, the fake crying did its job and focused everyone's attention on Ryoko, who scowled with a look of annoyance and disbelief on her face as she turned to face the group of rival space pirates. "I did no such thing, you little liar!" Ryoko fired back, with Ryo-Ohki assuming a defensive posture as it launched itself at the ground in front of Ryoko. Soon, a uniformed police officer, a young one and probably a rookie at that, made his way over from a nearby shop.

"Excuse me, but what's going on here?" the rookie asked the group. Marzo turned to face him, fake tears pouring down her face. "She-She stole my money from me! She took my passport, my ID, even my hotel keys! She took it all! She took everything from me, including my virginity!" Marzo cried. "Wait, what was that last part?" the officer asked her in confusion, before he looked over at Ryoko.

"My virginity! She stole my _virginity!_ " Marzo cried out. "I was saving it for someone _speciaaalll!_ " she wept in a theatrically dramatic fashion. The officer looked back and forth between Ryoko and the other space pirates, the neurons in his brain firing up as he started focusing on everyone's faces.

 _Oh no, please tell me that he won't recognize Ryoko and out her in front of everyone. Not here, not now_ , Kiyone thought in a panic. Unfortunately, her fears were soon confirmed when the rookie officer in question finally recognized Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki before blurting out the woman's name as he reached for his sidearm.

"Oh, crap! R-Ryoko! It's Space Pirate Ryoko!" the rookie shrieked in fright.

 _Well... shit_ , Kiyone thought to herself as the situation quickly spiraled out of control. In only a few seconds, the rookie officer had already drawn his sidearm, his hands shaking as he began reading Ryoko her rights, before Ryoko sent a bolt of energy from her right hand down to the ground by his feet. Various patrons and shoppers began panicking and scattering about the food court.

"Th-This is Deputy Kolzak, calling for backup! Space Pirate Ryoko has appeared in the Zaelong Market Square!" the rookie called into his radio.

And then things got worse.

As Ryoko prepared another energy blast, Loritz Jonez pulled out a large pistol from inside his jacket and opened fire, forcing Ryoko to discharge her energy blast without proper aim as she dodged the projectile from Jonez's gun. Rolling onto her feet, Ryoko fired another energy blast, this time directed at Jonez. Jonez dived out of the way as Marzo, Kaevit, and Londo pulled out their own guns and began surrounding Ryoko.

Kiyone watched the scene unfold in dismay as she carefully knelt down behind her chair and kept her eyes on the fighting space pirates.

"You're outnumbered, Ryoko!" Loritz Jonez sang. "Just give it up! It's ours to take, so get out of here and go plunder some other museum," he added. Ryoko narrowed her eyes at Loritz. "No way," she said. "I've had my eyes on the prize too long to let someone else get their hands on it. If you want to beat me to it, you'll have to try _harder!_ " Ryoko snapped before leaping into the air and sending multiple energy blasts at the ground.

Loritz and the others dived out of the way as they opened fire at where Ryoko had previously been standing, only to look up and see the cyan-haired pirate standing on the top of a street lamp nearby. "Shoot the bitch!" Jonez spat angrily. His fellow pirates complied and unloaded their guns at Ryoko, who simply leapt into the air and circled around them before diving downward and phasing into the ground.

"Where'd she go!?" Londo asked incredulously. Even Kiyone had trouble accepting what she had seen Ryoko do. She'd certainly seen footage of Ryoko before, and she knew of her ability to fly and fire energy blasts, even her ability to form energy blades and staffs, but she had been unaware of this particular ability until just now. "Just who or what _is_ Ryoko?" Kiyone asked herself quietly. Soon, however, a strange but faint noise was heard nearby, causing Kiyone to glance around behind her to see Ryoko rising through the ground behind an empty table.

"How did-aah!" Kiyone cried out as she felt something press down on her head. She soon saw the brown fur of a cabbit as it leapt to the ground beside her and hopped over to Ryoko. "Bye-bye, Loritz! Have fun with the poli~ice!" Ryoko called out as the sirens of the local police could be heard approaching in the distance.

And then, Ryoko disappeared with a strange sizzling noise in the air. Looking around, Kiyone soon saw a figure in the distance, near the top of a building. Squinting her eyes for a closer look, Kiyone realized that it was Ryoko, who was now making her way over to the other side of the roof before disappearing.

"What was that? Was that... teleportation?" Kiyone asked rhetorically, just before she saw a ship ascend into the air, no doubt belonging to Ryoko. _Dammit, she's on the run! Now how do we catch her? Wait... she'll be back, Kiyone. Just figure out the location that ship took off from and report it to Captain Dozzel so that you can begin searching for the location of Ryoko's target... and those pirates mentioned something about a museum, didn't they? I hope that's a good clue,_ Kiyone thought to herself as she watched Ryoko's ship disappear into the sky.

A minute later, Kiyone caught movement nearby in her peripheral vision. The pirates had begun to check the ammo in their guns before preparing to get out of the now mostly deserted food court. Unfortunately, the rookie cop from earlier was now trying to stop them, in the most feeble way possible.

"H-Halt. Right... right there," he said with a gulp. Kiyone frowned in disappointment at the man's decision. _When you're outnumbered, outgunned, and outskilled... always lay low and wait for backup to arrive... especially when it's all three of those at once_ , Kiyone recalled hearing an instructor tell her on multiple occasions while she was still training at the Galaxy Police Academy.

However, while backup was indeed on its way, it was not likely to arrive on time. And that meant Kiyone would have to take matters into her own hands in order to save this particular rookie's life. As the pirates turned their guns to aim at the Rookie cop, Kiyone quickly scanned the immediate area around her for something she could use to great effect.

"I-I need you to... l-lower you w-weapons i-immediately, and... and..." the rookie stammered as the pirates glanced at each other with smirks on their faces. "You're kidding, right?" Londo asked the rookie. "N-N-No!" the rookie said as he held his pistol defensively.

"Well, too bad," Jonez said with a shrug. "Bye-bye," he added before he prepared to fire his weapon, only to yell as a ceramic plate flew into his face. "What the hell!?" Jonez screamed as he looked around for his assailant, only to see a woman with green hair jump at him feet first. "Who the-oof!" Jonez let out as Kiyone kicked him in the ribs and sent him sprawling onto the ground. She quickly rolled over onto all fours before kicking Londo's legs out from under him and lunging forward to send her fist into Nodd's chin, causing him to stumble back with a cry of surprise before he fell back against the ground.

"What the hell!?" Marzo cried out in surprise as she dodged Kiyone's attack, ducking beneath the police woman's legs and rolling onto her side to avoid the kick. Marzo quickly aimed her gun at Kiyone, only for Kiyone to grab the gun and step to the side to avoid its line of fire as Marzo fired off three shots. Grabbing Marzo's arm with her free hand, Kiyone twisted it until she heard Marzo give out a cry of pain and dropped the gun.

Once she heard the clatter of the gun hitting the ground, Kiyone pulled back her right arm, balled her hand into a fist, and let it fly. The impact of the punch broke Marzo's nose and sent her falling to the ground as Kiyone let go of her arm. "You... bitch," Kiyone heard Londo spit at her as he stood up and aimed his gun at her.

She quickly kicked his arm and pressed her foot against his wrist, pinning him to the ground before reaching down to swat the weapon out of his grip. Londo quickly grabbed her other leg with his left hand, only for Kiyone to quickly kneel down and punch him in the face. "Gaahh! My nose!" Londo cried out in pain, just before Kiyone kicked him in the chest and forced him onto his back.

And then Kiyone felt a strong pair of hands grab her and throw her off of Londo. Rolling over on the ground until she could get up again, Kiyone looked up to see Nodd standing tall. Nodd pulled a knife out of his jacket and rushed toward her. Diving to the side, Kiyone quickly stood up and dodged another lunge from the blue-skinned man. Ducking and side-stepping, Kiyone dodged swipe and lunge after swipe and lunge from Nodd as he tried his best to cut her to pieces.

Eventually, Kiyone found herself backed into a table. Glancing back at her surroundings, Kiyone looked forward again as Nodd lunged at her. She quickly ducked and dove beneath the table before rolling over and standing up next to a chair. She quickly grabbed the chair and held it up as Nodd darted towards her, his arm outstretched and knife in hand. Turning the chair, Kiyone was able to push back and knocked the knife out of Nodd's hand, forcing him on the defensive as she jabbed the chair's legs at him before changing the positions of her hands and swinging the chair at Nodd, knocking him over into a table and onto his knees.

As Kiyone swung again, Nodd caught the chair and pulled, bringing Kiyone forward enough for him to send a fist her way. Nodd's fist collided with Kiyone's stomach, forcing her to let go of the chair as she stumbled back several feet, wincing in pain. "Oh _damn_ ," Kiyone wheezed as she tried to regain her wind.

Nodd then stood up and threw the chair at Kiyone, who quickly tried to dodge it, only for it to hit her legs and send her falling back to the ground. Kiyone quickly forced herself up from the ground, hissing in pain from where the chair had hit her, only to see Nodd lift up the table he had been kneeling against. "Oh, give me a break," Kiyone muttered as Nodd hefted the table up with a sadistic grin on his face.

"Oh, I'll give you a _break_ all right," Nodd said with a grin as he stepped forward and threw the table at Kiyone, who quickly dove to the side to avoid the public furniture. Quickly crawling over behind another table, Kiyone got onto her knees and crouched to avoid re-entering Nodd's line of sight, although he was already moving towards her position anyway. Jumping up onto the table, Kiyone assumed a fighting stance before leaping at Nodd and kicking him to the ground. She quickly rolled over and adjusted herself before elbowing Nodd in the stomach and getting back up on her feet.

Kiyone's attention was soon drawn away from the incapacitated space pirates by the approaching the local police. The sirens of the local police had grown louder as their hover cruisers reached the main entrance walkway of the open food court. Three cruisers ascended vertically into the air and flew over the rim of the wall before settling down in the food court itself, staying in the center to avoid the chairs and tables of the cafes and shops.

As the local officers exited their vehicles, they quickly cuffed the pirates on the ground, with Captain Dozzel making his way over to Kiyone after exiting a fourth cruiser that had just landed in the food court. "Officer Makibi, where's Ryoko?" Dozzel asked her. "She got away," Kiyone replied with a frustrated sigh. She then glanced over to where the rookie was still standing, her eyes widening and her jaw dropping in disbelief that he had remained in place the entire time.

"Seriously? This whole time, you just... _stood there!?_ " Kiyone asked the rookie incredulously, who quickly snapped out of his stupor to turn and face her. "Uh, s-sorry, ma'am. I-I-I... I was j-just-" "Save it," Kiyone interrupted him, reaching a hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose as she groaned in frustration.

"How did Ryoko get away?" Dozzel asked Kiyone. "She just... phased through the ground and then... _teleported_ over to another part of the city," Kiyone said. "She... teleported? She phased through the ground? I don't recall these abilities being listed on her profile. Are you sure she didn't simply run away during your fight with these four?" Dozzel asked Kiyone.

"Look, I know what I saw, and so did those pirates. They saw it too. Besides, one of them gave a clue to where Ryoko's target might be. Jonez said something to Ryoko about a museum before she got away," Kiyone said. "A museum? Wait a minute... the Karuzaena Museum! It has an entire wing devoted to ancient relics and treasures found by archaeologists during the planet's colonization," Dozzel said in realization.

"There are priceless artifacts in there, and any one of them could easily fetch a high price on the black market," Dozzel continued. Kiyone nodded her head in understanding. "How quickly can we get the museum surrounded?" Kiyone asked him.

"Well-" Dozzel was interrupted by the sound of his radio going off. "Captain Dozzel here. What is it?" he asked. " _The space pirate, Ryoko! She's at the Karuzaena Museum!_ " a panicked voice cried out over the radio. "Hold on, we're on our way," Dozzel said before turning off the radio. "Ryoko's already attacking the museum," Dozzel explained the Kiyone. "Then let's move," Kiyone said in response.

 **A Short While Later, At The Karuzaena Museum...**

Stepping over the unconscious guards, Ryoko gingerly made her way toward her final target sitting in the corner of the room. It was a large shiny green crystal held inside a glass box, with a force field surrounding it. "Amateurs," Ryoko muttered as she phased into the ground before soon phasing out again inside the force field. She looked at the crystal inside the glass box, smiling to herself.

"Well, hello there, beautiful. I'll bet you're worth more than an entire star ship," Ryoko said giddily as she prepared herself. Concentrating on her right hand, she forced her arm, and only her arm, to phase through the glass. _That's it... stay focused. Just keep focused. You're doing good, Ryoko. You're doing real good_ , she thought to herself as her hand reached the crystal.

 _Okay, now comes the hard part_ , Ryoko thought to herself as she forced her hand to become tangible enough to grab the crystal. Ryoko bit her lower lip as she carefully curled her fingers around the crystal. When she was positive that it was properly in her grasp, she forced her hand and the crystal to phase together as she pulled them back through the glass, keeping the box intact. When her hand and arm were fully out of the glass, she then made her hand and the crystal solid again before focusing on where she had been standing earlier, quickly teleporting herself out of the force field.

Holding the crystal in her hand, Ryoko smiled as she admired her handiwork. "Heh. Now that I've done it once, I should be able to do it more often," she said to herself as she stuffed the crystal into a large black duffel bag on the floor, wrapping it up in a sheet of paper before tying a string around it and placing it next to several other artifacts that she had taken in the past fifteen minutes.

"Miya!" Ryo-Ohki squeaked as she walked away from the door to the room. Letting Ryo-Ohki hop onto her shoulder, Ryoko gently patted the cabbit on the head before scritching her under her chin. "Alright, I've gotten the goods. Now let's haul ass before the cops realize that we're here. Jonez and his crew should still be keeping them busy," Ryoko said with a smirk as she lifted the bag onto her right shoulder.

"Miya!" Ryo-Ohki chirped, causing Ryoko to stop mid-step. "What? What do you mean some one was able to call the cops? Who was it? Where?" Ryoko asked the cabbit. Ryo-Ohki leapt off of Ryoko's shoulder and onto the floor, hopping along until she arrived at the feet of security guard curled up in a fetal position on the floor. He was holding his stomach and crotch while groaning in pain.

"Huh. Well, uh... good job, Ryo-Ohki," Ryoko said to the cat-rabbit hybrid as she walked past the security guard. "I didn't know you had it in ya, girl," she added affectionately as Ryo-Ohki hopped up onto her shoulder. "So, how much should we charge for this? And who should we try to sell it to?" Ryoko asked Ryo-Ohki with a smile.

"Miya," Ryo-Ohki chirped as she and Ryoko pushed open a door and walked into the lobby of the museum, only to find a large Wau police officer standing in the center of the room while several dozen officers took up positions outside the doors. Ryoko looked around with wide eyes. "Huh... yikes," she muttered to herself in mild surprise.

"Give it up, space pirate," Captain Dozzel said. "Space Pirate... come on, there's a name that follows those words," Ryoko responded with a playful grin. "Ryoko, you are hereby placed under arrest for the theft of museum artifacts and numerous other charges too long to list," Dozzel said loudly.

"Uh-huh. That's nice," Ryoko said nonchalantly with a shrug of her shoulders and a roll of her eyes. "So, anyway, I'd love to stay and talk, but I'm not really into hairy guys. So, see ya!" Ryoko said with a wave as she leapt into the air and flew up to the next floor, landing her feet on the safety rail.

"You won't get away this time!" Dozzel barked at her.

"Sure I will," Ryoko retorted as she hovered int the air. "See? Here I go!" Ryoko called back with a smile as she flew upwards and phased herself, the bag, and Ryo-Ohki through the ceiling. When she was clear, she solidified herself again and stepped onto the rooftop, not noticing the police cruiser parked behind her. "Ah, suckers," Ryoko said with a smile before she started humming to herself.

"Alright, Ryo-Ohki. Let's get out of here," Ryoko said as she looked around at the cityscape beyond. Glancing behind her Ryo-Ohki's eyes widened. "Miya!" the cabbit chirped in surprise. "Huh? What do you-oof!" Ryoko cried out as she was tackled from behind and forced to the surface of the roof.

"Space Pirate Ryoko, you are under arrest," Kiyone said as she gripped Ryoko's arms and held them behind her, quickly grabbing her cuffs and slapping them around Ryoko's wrists. Kiyone then stood up, taking Ryoko with her, until she felt something bite into her rear. "Now, let's-Aiiyyeeeeee!" Kiyone cried out in pain as Ryo-Ohki held onto her. "My ass! My ass! What's biting my ass!?" Kiyone shrieked as she let go of Ryoko and ran around the rooftop in an effort to shake loose whatever was attacking her.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Someone, get it off! Ow, it hurts! Ow, my ass!" Kiyone cried out as she tried to grab at the furry thing stuck to her rear.

Ryoko quickly phased her wrists through the handcuffs and let them fall to the ground as she turned around to watch the scene with amusement. Ryo-Ohki currently had her mouth latched onto Kiyone's left butt cheek through her pants, and Kiyone was running around in a circle trying to shake her off. A single tear fell down Ryoko's cheek in appreciation of the beauty of the sight... before she burst out laughing.

"Bah-ha-ha-haa! Ha-ha! Serves you right!" Ryoko called out to Kiyone, who soon tripped and fell flat on her face. Ryo-Ohki quickly disengaged from the woman and bounded over to Ryoko, hopping up onto the cyan-haired woman's shoulder. "Come on, Ryo-Ohki. You've earned yourself a treat once we get out of here," Ryoko said affectionately.

Ryoko missed the sound of shoes on the roof top and the un-holstering of a gun. Therefore, when a bright blast of energy whizzed past her and hit the edge of the roof top a few feet away from her, she was caught by surprise. Slowly turning around, Ryoko saw Kiyone standing with her gun drawn, aimed right at her.

"I said... you're under _arrest_ ," Kiyone said angrily. Ryoko quickly placed the duffel bag in front of her as a shield. "You wanna take the risk?" Ryoko asked Kiyone as Ryo-Ohki leapt down from her perch and walked over to the ledge of the roof. "Miya!" Ryo-Ohki chirped as she surveyed the police cruisers all gathered around the museum.

"Fine, we'll do it here," Ryoko replied, not once taking her eyes off of Kiyone. "Do what here?" Kiyone asked her. "Take off," Ryoko replied with a smirk. Kiyone narrowed her eyes at the space pirate in response.

"I don't think so. Where's your ship?" Kiyone asked her. "Right behind me," Ryoko replied with a mischievous smile on her lips. "Behind you? But that part of the building is covered by cruisers. There are no other vehicles out here," Kiyone said in confusion.

"Ryo-Ohki, give miss... uh, what's your name?" Ryoko asked Kiyone. "Kiyone. Detective First Class Kiyone Makibi," Kiyone replied. "Right. Ryo-Ohki, give Kiyone here a show," Ryoko said, mere seconds before the cabbit leapt into the air. The small furry animal soon began to glow, before it started to change form, soon turning into a large glowing shape that hung in the air. And when the bright glow dissipated, a ship hovered in the air.

"You're _kidding_ ," Kiyone said in disbelief, her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide. Ryoko shook her head in response. "Nope!" she said before sending an energy blast from her left hand toward the ground near Kiyone's feet, forcing the detective to dive for cover. "Well, it's been fun, Kiyone, but I've gotta go! Places to see and things to steal! See ya' around!" Ryoko called out as Ryo-Ohki opened its cockpit to let Ryoko inside.

The ship then turned around and flew through the air, heading away from the museum as the cops below all stared up in amazement and confusion at what they had seen. "Did that small animal just turn into a ship!?" one of them asked rhetorically. "I've seen some crazy things in my life, but nothing quite like that!" said another cop.

A minute later, a police cruiser flew over the edge of the museum and stayed in the air as it pursued Ryoko's ship. "Hey, wait, that thing wasn't built for that!" Dozzel called out as he watched Kiyone take his cruiser on a chase. He quickly grabbed his radio and contacted the detective inside his cruiser.

Picking up the radio inside the vehicle, Kiyone kept her eyes on the sky. "This is Detective First Class Kiyone Makibi of the Galaxy Police, over," Kiyone said. " _Kiyone, you can't keep that cruiser in the air like that for very long. It wasn't designed for extremely high altitudes like that, and especially not for prolonged periods of time! We'll scramble some aerial search units to take over_ ," Dozzel said over the radio.

* * *

"There's no time! Ryoko's gonna get away if we don't do something! I'll head over to my ship and chase after her in orbit. You can collect the cruiser from star port," Kiyone said as she changed direction and headed for the star port. Ahead of her, Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki both sped up and climbed higher into the atmosphere, gleefully taking their time to evade the less-than-capable vehicle trying to catch them.

* * *

Watching the cruiser change direction on the screen in front of her, Ryoko grinned. "Hah! That's right! Turn around and go home!" Ryoko sneered. " _Miya,_ " Ryo-Ohki chirped over her internal speaker system. "You said it," Ryoko replied with a nod of her head.

 **One Hour Later...**

Sitting inside the cockpit of Ryo-Ohki, Ryoko gazed out at the surface of the planet below, smirking to herself. "They aren't even going to _try_ chasing me out hee, are they? Pfft, should've known they were all a bunch of pansies," Ryoko muttered before she reached down and opened up her duffel bag. "Now, let's relax and enjoy the fruits of a hard day's work, shall we?" she asked Ryo-Ohki as she unwrapped the green crystal from its paper to admire it.

"Hm... you know what, Ryo-Ohki? There more I look at this thing, the less I feel that it was really worth all of the trouble we went through to get it," Ryoko said in a disappointed tone. " _Miya?_ " Ryo-Ohki asked her.

"Well, it's just... this thing doesn't seem all that different from any other crystal you might find somewhere. I mean, just look at it," Ryoko explained, holding up the crystal in her hand. "Sure, it looks nice, but... wait, what is that on the inside?" Ryoko asked rhetorically as she held the crystal closer to her face to inspect it.

"What the? What is that?" she asked as she noticed something that seemed to swirl around inside the crystal body. "Is that... some kind of liquid or something? The thing ain't melting, so... hm. Weird," Ryoko commented with a shrug.

"Maybe it'll worth something to a collector. The other stuff I snagged should still be worth some actual money, though," Ryoko said as she prepared to re-wrap the crystal. She was interrupted, however, when Ryo-Ohki let out an alert noise. " _MIYA! MIYA!_ " Ryo-Ohki cried out.

Ryoko looked at her screen and brought up a visual of the ship's rear sensors. There, a ship was approaching them. "Well, I stand corrected. Someone _is_ following us. Wait a minute, that looks like a... heh, well, if it isn't the Galaxy Police. They're a bit late for the party; it's already over," Ryoko said, just before a hailing frequency erupted from the speakers in her cockpit. "What the? Ryo-Ohki, patch us through. We can taunt them for their incompetence while we escape," Ryoko said cockily.

"Hello, you've reached the mobile command center of Ryoko the Magnificent, please hold for an eternity while we transfer your call," Ryoko said as she put on a headset. " _Hello, this is Kiyone the Ass-Kicker, and I'm coming for yours, Ryoko!_ "

Ryoko's eyes bugged out of her head in shock. "That girl works for the Galaxy Police? But she wasn't wearing one of their uniforms when she-oh, right, she's a _detective_. That's why she wasn't wearing the standard uniform," Ryoko said to herself. "So, Kiyone, have you come here to see me off?" Ryoko asked playfully as she prepared to activate Ryo-Ohki's defense systems.

" _I'm here to arrest you, Ryoko. If you cooperate, I may consider going easy on you_ ," Kiyone said firmly, causing Ryoko to start laughing. "Oh? You'll [snicker] _consider_ going easy on me? Hah! Yeah, you'll have to catch me first!" Ryoko replied before activating Ryo-Ohki's defenses and sending a series of easily dodged blasts towards Kiyone's ship.

" _Try aiming next time!_ " Kiyone sniped over the comm system. Ryoko growled into her headset in response. Despite having a reputation for being a fearsome space pirate and being more than willing to physically hurt someone or scare them, Ryoko absolutely loathed the idea of _killing_ someone unless they absolutely deserved it. It was her way of trying to deal with an unsavory past that she hated to think about, while still keeping people afraid of her. If people were afraid of her, then no one would get close to her, and if no one got close to her, then there would be no one to abandon her or turn her into a puppet for their own ends.

As Kiyone's ship returned fire, Ryoko discovered that the detective was not as merciful as she was, and Kiyone managed to land three direct hits on Ryo-Ohki, damaging one of her thrusters. "No! Ryo-Ohki! Just hold on, big sis is gonna take care of her," Ryoko said to the ship. " _Miya!?_ " Ryo-Ohki asked her in shock.

"No, I'm not gonna kill her. _But_... I am going to hurt her," Ryoko said as she grabbed the green crystal in her hands. "Hey, Kiyone, I'd be more careful if I were you! If my ship is destroyed, you'll blow up all of the stuff I stole," Ryoko said over the ship-to-ship comm.

" _Surrender and that won't be an issue_ ," Kiyone replied firmly. "Okay, screw you!" Ryoko spat in return before phasing through Ryo-Ohki's hull. When she was completely in space, she scowled at Kiyone's ship and fired a low-powered energy blast from her free hand at it, hitting the side of the vessel.

Meanwhile, inside the Yagami, Kiyone looked out in shock at Ryoko. The pirate didn't have a suit and she appeared to be just fine despite the lack of a breathable atmosphere. "That... that's impossible! No living thing can survive the vacuum of space like that! What the hell is she!?" Kiyone asked as Ryoko sent blast after blast at the Yagami, eventually hitting a small communications antenna that was folded against the hull.

Retreating back to Ryo-Ohki as though she was a fish swimming through water, Ryoko threw the green crystal past the Yagami, letting the lack of friction in space carry it by the Galaxy Police vessel with lightning speed. Then, once it was at a nice distance, Ryoko fired a high-powered energy blast from both hands at the crystal. If she was right, then the debris created by the destroyed object would interfere with the sensors of the Galaxy Police vessel.

Ryo-Ohki would be fine, as it was a living being on its own, but a normal ship, or shuttle, like the Yagami would suffer interference as shards and dust from a destroyed crystal scattered around its sensors. Even if it was only for a minute, that would be enough time for Ryo-Ohki to jump to hyper-space and evade their pursuer. However, Ryoko had forgotten about the strange swirling substance inside the crystal.

Once her dual energy blast hit the crystal, the object exploded and let out a wave of energy, knocking into the Yagami and blowing a few pieces of sensor equipment off of the main body of the ship. But that wasn't the end of it, as a second wave of energy was released... which soon collapsed onto itself and formed a wormhole. Ryoko quickly phased herself back into Ryo-Ohki in a panic.

"Oh shit! Not good! Not good!" Ryoko cried out as she pushed Ryo-Ohki's thrusters to their maximum. " _MIYA!_ " Ryo-Ohki cried out over her internal speakers. "I know! I know!" Ryoko shot back as she desperately pushed Ryo-Ohki's engines as hard as they could go, watching the Yagami struggle on her screen.

Inside the Yagami, Kiyone was beginning to panic. "Come on, come on!" she muttered at she flipped multiple switches and activated the shuttle's thrusters, hoping to escape the pull of the newly-formed wormhole. "This isn't happening! This isn't happening!" Kiyone whined as she tried to stay calm, but found herself failing in that endeavor.

"Stay cool, Kiyone. Stay cool. Take a deep breath," she told herself through a shaky voice that was the exact opposite of its own instructions. The Yagami's engines kicked into high gear as Kiyone pushed them into a higher setting, but the pull of the wormhole was too much. Currently, the ship was maintaining its position, but slowly, minute by minute, it began to draw closer to the wormhole.

"No. No, don't do this to me!" Kiyone cried out in panic as she saw the data on her screen. "Come on, push forward, Yagami! You can do it! I refuse to die like this! I refuse!" Kiyone cried out in desperation as she saw the hull readings on her screen reach critical levels. The ship soon began lowering its engines power output to prevent the stress causing it to damage itself, a safety feature built into the ship by its designers.

"What the-no! Nooooooo!" Kiyone yelled in fear and desperation. "Please, someone help me!" she pleaded as she sent out a system-wide distress beacon through the remaining communications equipment on the ship. "This can't be happening! No! No!"

Soon, the Yagami was unable to fight the pull and found itself being sucked into the wormhole, Kiyone still being heard on Ryoko's headset. " _No! No! This is Kiyone Makibi calling for help! Someone, please! Someone, help me, PLEASE! No, no, no!_ " Kiyone cried out as the Yagami was pulled into the wormhole.

Ryoko shuddered in fright as she saw the Galaxy Police ship disappear into the swirling darkness of the wormhole, Kiyone's cries for help still coming in over her headset, albeit faintly... until they stopped. A minute later, the wormhole collapsed on itself and faded out of existence. Slowing down Ryo-Ohki, Ryoko slumped back in her chair and held her head in her hands.

" _M-Miya,_ " Ryo-Ohki said in an attempt to comfort Ryoko. "I know there was nothing we could have done! I-I know that! But I... I didn't meant to-to... I didn't want that to happen. I didn't mean for it to happen," Ryoko whispered quietly as she curled up in her seat, tears threatening to pour out as guilt ate away inside of her. " _Miya... Miya... Miya_ ," Ryo-Ohki cooed softly and reassuringly to her sibling over her internal speakers.

* * *

 **Somewhere Near the Orbit of Earth, Sol System, 2000 A.D.**

As the wormhole began to shrink, the Yagami finally exited the anomaly, its hull damaged and bruised, but otherwise still intact enough to maintain life-support and other necessary functions. Inside the cockpit, Kiyone held her head in her hands and groaned before she lifted her head up and took in the view. "I'm... finally out of there. I'm finally free," she said with hope in her voice as she looked at her new surroundings. Up almost half an AU* ahead, a large blue and green planet took up the view of her screen.

"Wait... this isn't Gemini Three," Kiyone said as she looked around and saw multiple primitive satellites in orbit around the planet. "Where am I?" she asked rhetorically. She set the Yagami's remaining sensors to sweep the area for any signs of Galactic Union presence. For several minutes, Kiyone waited in silence.

When the scan was finished, Kiyone let out a sigh of frustration. There was no Galactic Union presence in the system, or at least none that the Yagami's remaining sensors could detect, on or around the planet called Earth. She quickly set the sensors to scan one of the nearby satellites for information, watching as a small window on her main screen showed various bits of data scrolling upward. Soon, however, something caught her eye.

"What did that say?" Kiyone asked as she paused the data collection. The calendar date for the planet was April 08, 2000 A.D. "What does A.D. mean?" Kiyone asked rhetorically before setting the scanners to collect more data from other satellites. She soon found her answer. "Anno... Domini. Okay. What does _that_ mean?" Kiyone asked rhetorically.

The next hour was spent collecting data on this new world in front of her. When she was done, she set up the Yagami's scanners to check again for signs of Galactic Union presence in the system. "Come on, just work for me. Please," Kiyone muttered as she waited for the scan to complete.

When it was done, Kiyone's eyes widened in surprise and a smile graced her lips. She quickly accessed the Yagami's communication system. A passing ship had been detected near the far orbit of the planet's moon. "Attention, this is Detective First Class Kiyone Makibi of the Galaxy Police, Registration number KM04301995, requesting assistance. I say again, this Detective First Class Kiyone Makibi of the Galaxy Police, Registration number KM04301995, requesting assistance," Kiyone said eagerly.

" _Huh?_ " came the tired voice over the comm system. "Attention, fellow Galaxy Police vessel, I am in need of assistance. My ship was just been tossed through a wormhole, and I need to have repairs done so that I can leave this system and return to GP headquarters," Kiyone explained.

" _Yeah, uh... what was that registration number again?_ " the tired male voice on the other end asked her. "My registration number is KM04301995," Kiyone replied eagerly. " _Uh-huh. Just hold on a second while we run that through our database. Just hold on_ ," the voice said in a disinterested tone.

After a few minutes of silence, the voice returned. " _Okay, we've run your registration number through the system_ ," he said. "Alright! So, can you help me out?" Kiyone asked him. " _Um, about that... your registration number isn't in any of our databases. Your ID doesn't match anything on file either_ ," the voice explain in a bored tone.

"What? No, that's... that's not possible," Kiyone said in shock. " _Uh, yeah it is. You're not in the system. So... who are you, really?_ " the voice asked again. "I've already told you! I-" Kiyone then stopped as she remember the planet's local calendar year. "Um, what year is it on the Galactic Union Standard Calendar?" she asked.

" _Huh?_ " the voice asked her in return. "What is today's date?" Kiyone asked again. " _Oh... uh, it's GU Four-Eight-Ninety-Two Hundred. Why?_ " the voice replied. "No, I mean the date according to the Galactic Union calendar, not the local planet's calendar," Kiyone asked again.

" _I just told you. It's the year ninety-two hundred of the Galactic Union Calendar, as in nine thousand and two-hundred_ ," the voice replied. "That's... that's not possible," Kiyone said in disbelief. " _Sure it is_ ," the voice replied in an annoyed tone. "But, but that means... I've... no way. No, that... no, no, no!" Kiyone groaned in frustration and disbelief.

" _Okay, well, since you're clearly busy crying over... something, I guess, I'm gonna head on out of here since my recon duty is finished. See you... uh... never. Oh, and if you try pulling that fake ID stunt on a real Galaxy Police officer again, you'll get arrested for it. Bye!_ " the voice said before ending the transmission.

Closing her eyes, Kiyone inhaled with a shudder as she tried to process the full extent of what she had just learned. She had been sent back in time by twenty years, and to another part of the galaxy, thanks to the wormhole. Forcing herself to take slow deep breaths, Kiyone tried to control her breathing as feelings of panic and fear began welling up inside of her.

"Alright, m-maybe I can still fly to Galaxy Police HQ with the hyper-drive. I should be g-good for at least one trip through hyperspace," Kiyone said to herself. But then she looked at the readings for the Yagami's engines. Quickly running a diagnostics program, Kiyone waited for the results. When they finally showed up on the screen, she frowned and held her head in her hands. "No. This isn't happening to me," she groaned through gritted teeth. The engines had been put under too much stress while trying to escape from the wormhole, and the subsequent trip through it had fractured several areas connected to the hyper-drive. She couldn't enter hyperspace without killing the engines or destroying the ship.

There was no way to leave this new planetary system.

 _Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale_ , Kiyone repeated to herself as a mantra, staving off the panic within. The mantra worked... for about five minutes. Then the dam broke and she could hold it in no longer. For the next hour, Kiyone lied curled up on the floor of her ship, bawling her eyes out at her predicament. When she was finished, she forced herself off of the floor and back into the pilot seat of the Yagami, her body still shaking.

"Okay... I can do this," she said to herself. Using the recently-collected data from the planet's primitive satellites, Kiyone gathered as much information as possible to locate a suitable landing site. _If I can blend in with the natives, then maybe I can find a way to gather the necessary supplies to fix the engines and get the hyper-drive to work. Then I can get out of here and get to HQ. That other guy was probably just screwing with me when he told me the date. He was... he... he wasn't, though... was he?_

"Even if I were to get the hyper-drive fixed, if I go back home... I might cause a time paradox by interacting with my younger self. Or just my mere presence could create problems in the database, or sharing my knowledge from my own time with fellow GP officers and officials could change the outcomes of future events so drastically as to alter history itself," Kiyone said to herself worriedly. _No matter what I do, the only solution that doesn't cause any major problems is for me to stay here_ , Kiyone realized bitterly. "Dammit! Damn that Ryoko! This is _ALL_. _HER_. _FAULT!_ " Kiyone shouted angrily before punching the wall next to her. She immediately brought her hand back and covered it with her other one, whimpering in pain.

"Dammit, why can't anything go right today!?" Kiyone asked in despair. She spent the next five minutes sitting morosely in her chair while she waited for the ship's computer to find a suitable location to land. _I can't stay on-board the Yagami forever. The food synthesizers need supplies to work with, and I doubt that this planet will have the necessary supplies. They'd probably... have real food grown on farms... or pulled from the ocean_ , Kiyone realized.

 _But... if I go down there, I might contract some kind of disease. I don't know if the air down there is safe for me. Well... I could take one of those new pills that boost the immune system, but they taste so horrible! Still, when I run out of supplies for synthesized food on the Yagami, I'll have to land down there anyway_ , Kiyone thought to herself.

Leaning back in her chair, Kiyone looked at a side panel nearby, before turning her attention to the main screen in front of her. "Okay, let's see if the engines can handle atmospheric re-entry," Kiyone said to herself as she re-checked the ship's diagnostics results. The engines, despite their new handicap, were still good for entering and exiting a planet's atmosphere, and the Yagami's hull was still structurally intact.

"So, I won't disintegrate upon entering the atmosphere. Hmph, at least _something_ will work in my favor today," Kiyone said to herself. Returning to the data collection screen, Kiyone began looking for a suitable location to land the Yagami. Her attention was eventually drawn to a small island chain near the coast of a much large continent.

"Japan... all right, let's see what the translation software can do," Kiyone said as she activated the galactic translation software built into her ship's computer and prepared it for a transfer into a portable translator device. "In the meantime... I guess I'll go get cleaned up," she said to herself as she rose from her chair and walked back into the main hall of the shuttle, opening a vacuum sealed drawer to retrieve clean clothing before heading over to the small one-person washing area.

After a ten-minute shower, Kiyone allowed the air-drying system to do its job before she stepped out into the hall and grabbed her clothes, getting dressed in off-duty fatigues. Her Galaxy Police uniform would mean nothing on Earth, and if the one GP officer's attitude towards her had been anything to go by, the system was not considered important enough for anything more than the occasion recon or patrol. It was a backwater system, which meant that the people living on it probably had little to no contact with the Galactic Union.

When she returned to the small bridge/cockpit of the Yagami, Kiyone sat down in her chair and looked at the results of her computer's translation program. The main language spoken on the land mass she had selected had been fully translated, along with three other major languages spoken on that section of the planet. Kiyone soon began selecting a landing zone, using the translation program to understand the collected data for Japan. "Okayama prefecture. Looks good to me," Kiyone said as she began checking the telemetry of the location, eventually finding a suitable landing site.

"Here we go," Kiyone said as she set the Yagami to begin entering the planet's atmosphere, slowly angling it so that aligned itself with the surface as it descended, a maneuver often referred to as 'entering the pipe'. Several hours later, the Yagami was flying through darkened skies over the Pacific Ocean as it made its way towards Japan. Once the Yagami was within a few kilometers of the mainland, Kiyone activated the ship's still-functioning cloaking system to keep it hidden as it soared dozens of miles in air over the Japanese land below, making its way toward Okayama Prefecture.

* * *

 **City of Niimi, Okayama Prefecture, Japan, Thursday, April 27, 2000 A.D.**

Staring at the grocery clerk uniform in her hands, Kiyone glanced over at small mirror sitting on her bedside stool. _This is my new life_ , she thought solemnly. _No more chasing bad guys. No more making the galaxy a safer place._ With a defeated sigh, Kiyone quickly changed into her uniform before grabbing her waist pouch, which held her new wallet, new ID, and some money that she had found lying around on the ground in various places.

While being a grocery clerk was a far cry from the role of a detective, Kiyone knew that it was probably the safest and smartest choice for a new job if she wanted to avoid making too much of an impact in the past. It was safest to leave as small a footprint as possible, she'd reasoned with herself. And so, as soon as she'd been able to forge the necessary documents, she'd gone out searching for the most inconspicuous job possible, as well as a place to live that wouldn't draw too much attention.

Opening the front door to the small apartment she had started renting, Kiyone Makibi looked up at the bright blue sky overhead. Looking around at the surrounding town around her, she locked the door behind her before slowly making her way down the stairs of the building and over to the parking lot. Looking around at the mostly empty lot, Kiyone closed her eyes and inhaled before opening them and walking down the sidewalk, quickly reaching the bus stop where she would get a ride to her new job.

At least the weather was nice, Kiyone noted as she reached the bust stop. The sounds of cars slowly driving along the road gave Kiyone a sense of ambiance that was missing from her sterile apartment. It reminded her of the subtle hum of the Yagami's internal machinery and engines running while moving through space, with subtle vibrations that put her at ease.

A soft breeze blew through the air as Kiyone reached the bus stop. While waiting for the public transport to arrive, she noticed a man with glasses approaching the stop as well. He was wearing a brown business suit and was holding a briefcase in one hand. He seemed to be in his late twenties or early thirties. She'd seen him a few times before, but had never paid him much mind until now. "So, am I on time today?" the man asked her jokingly as he came to a stop next to her.

"For the bus?" Kiyone asked him. "Well, yeah," the man replied. "I'd think so," Kiyone responded before sitting down on the bench behind her. However, she misjudged the distance between herself and the bench, and nearly fell over, before the man reached over to catch her backside. "Careful there," he said as he helped Kiyone right herself.

"Thanks. I thought I was closer to the bench than I really was," Kiyone said sheepishly. "Hey, that's okay. It happens to all of us," the man said with a grin. Kiyone nodded her head in agreement before stepping back and actually sitting down on the bench. "So... I've seen you on the bus before, but I don't think I know your name," Kiyone said to the man.

"Oh, I'm Noboyuki Masaki," the man said as he extended a hand out to Kiyone. Kiyone extended a hand of her own to shake his. "I'm Kiyone. Kiyone Makibi," Kiyone said as she and Noboyuki shook hands briefly.

When they pull away from each other, Noboyuki cleared his throat. "So, Kiyone... I don't think I've seen you around town much before now. Did you just move here recently?" Noboyuki asked her as he glanced down the street, checking for signs of the bus. "Um, yeah. Just the other week," Kiyone replied.

"Ah. So, I take it you're a... grocery worker?" Noboyuki asked her. "Mm-hm," Kiyone replied with a nod of her head. "It was the first thing I could find when I moved here," she explained, letting a cool breeze gently caress her hair as she and Noboyuki waited for the bus.

"Do you like it?" Noboyuki asked her. Kiyone paused before responding. She didn't _dislike_ the job so far, but she wouldn't go so far as to say that she enjoyed it... yet. "Well, I just started out, so... I can't really say for sure just yet," Kiyone replied.

"So, what do _you_ do?" Kiyone asked Noboyuki. "Me? Well, I'm an architect," Noboyuki replied happily. "Really? So, you... uh, design buildings?" Kiyone asked him.

"Yup!" Noboyuki replied with a smile on his face. "Hm. So, do you enjoy it?" Kiyone asked him. "Oh, absolutely. I've always had a passion for drawing since I was a little boy. Of course, my interests aren't limited strictly to buildings either. I'll draw anything that I think is beautiful," Noboyuki elaborated.

"Well, I guess it's good to do what you love for a living, isn't it?" Kiyone asked Noboyuki. He nodded his head in response. "Yeah. I wouldn't trade my career for any other in the world, no matter how much higher the pay might be for something else," he said. "If I had given up being an architect, I would never have gotten my dream home built," Noboyuki added.

"Your dream home?" Kiyone asked him curiously. "Mm-hm. I designed it back when I was in high school," Noboyuki explained. "When I finally find a woman who'll put up with me, it's where we'll live together. Us, and... hopefully, our children," Noboyuki added with a blush and a sheepish grin.

"Hm. Sounds like a nice dream," Kiyone said. "So, have you found someone who'll put up with you yet?" she then asked him humorously. "Ah, well... not yet. But I'm not giving up. I'll find someone one of these days," Noboyuki said in response. The sound of an engine soon drew both individuals' attention to the road, where they saw the bus approaching.

"Well, good luck with finding Missus Right, Masaki-san," Kiyone said, remembering what her translation software had told her about the Japanese language and culture. "And, uh... I hope you have a good day at your job," Noboyuki said awkwardly in response. Kiyone nodded her head in response to him as the bus soon came to stop and opened its doors. "After you," Noboyuki said as he allowed Kiyone to get on first. "Thank you," Kiyone said with a nod as she stepped up, followed quickly by Noboyuki.

When the bus doors closed, the vehicle took off down the street. Inside, both Noboyuki and Kiyone sat in different seats far apart from one another, but as this morning ritual repeated over the next few months, they started choosing seats closer to one another. Eventually, they both sat in the same spot, as their destinies began to collide.

* * *

Episode Ending Theme: _Restless Heart_ by John Parr

* * *

Author's Notes: So, this is my first purely non-crossover anime fan fiction. While I had previously done a Birdy The Mighty story, that was a crossover with Daria. This, however, is a straight forward work. Although, I will always include shout-outs and subtle references to other works throughout the story.

*An AU is the distance between Earth and the sun.

And yes, Kiyone/Noboyuki is the crack pairing that will be found in this story. So, what does this mean for the main story? You'll find out when this 4-parter is over and I start on that. Again, however, my update schedule will be sporadic as I deal with something called _real life_ , which does not care for my writing desires. And, of course, I will be working on other fan fics alongside this, such as my ALIEN stories.

Now, as you may have noticed, Kiyone is not exactly the super-competent detective introduced in Tenchi Universe. But, really, Kiyone only works in that capacity when she is paired with Mihoshi, as their differences allow both characters to work off of each other and create a fun and balanced dynamic. Because I am not including Mihoshi in this special, Kiyone must suffer to a degree in order to remain relatable and interesting. In order for any victory of hers to feel truly triumphant, she must stumble along the way and fight her way to the top against great odds. She can't get back up if she isn't knocked down to begin with. If she doesn't struggle, then there's no real sense of satisfaction when she triumphs over an obstacle.

Now, as for Noboyuki, he's in a similar age bracket to Kiyone, but slightly older. For what he looks like, imagine Noboyuki from any series, and remove the mustache. Also, Noboyuki in this story will be less of a pervert compared to his Ryo-Ohki and Universe counterparts, although he'll still have his moments from time to time.

In the next episode, Kiyone accompanies Noboyuki on a trip to Toyko, where she accidentally crosses a yakuza gang. Yes... the next episode will have plenty of Hong Kong style fighting in it.

As always, please let me know what you think of the chapter/story so far in your reviews.


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